Go back activity

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated April 30, 2026
  • 1 minute to read

    • The Go back activity defines a conditional return point in a playbook, enabling the playbook to loop back to an earlier activity, stage, or the start of the playbook based on an outcome.

    The Go back activity lets you define a conditional return point in a playbook. When an agent or fulfiller reaches a Go back activity during runtime, the playbook returns to a target you define — the start of a specific activity, the start of a stage, or the start of the playbook — and continues from there.

    Use a Go back activity when a process needs to loop back based on an outcome. For example, if a request is rejected, the playbook can return to an earlier data-gathering step instead of ending or requiring a full restart.

    How it works

    The Go back activity is placed inside a decision branch. When the branch condition is met at runtime, the playbook returns to the configured target and resumes execution from that point.

    You can configure the Go back activity to return to one of three targets:
    • Activity: Returns to the start of a specific activity earlier in the playbook.
    • Stage: Returns to the start of a specific stage.
    • Start of playbook: Returns to the beginning of the playbook.

    Design considerations

    Workflow Studio enforces the following rules when you add a Go back activity. The playbook can't be activated if any rule is violated.

    Rule Description
    At least one forward path required Every decision that contains a Go back activity must have at least one branch that continues forward in the playbook.
    No parallel forward branches without a decision You can't add a Go back activity if there is a parallel branch running forward that is not separated by a decision.
    Single branch evaluation required If a decision is set to evaluate all branches that are true, it can't contain a Go back activity. Change the evaluation mode to process only the first true branch.
    Target required The Go back activity must have a configured target. The target must appear before the Go back activity and the target can’t be another Go back activity.
    Must be the last activity A decision branch can contain only one Go back activity and the activity must be the last activity.